BIGScience. Summer Camps 2014

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1 BIGScience ISSN BIG Science (Print) ISSN BIG Science (Online) Summer Camps 2014 Big Little Science Centre Newsletter Issue #255 May 2014 In This Issue Visit the Big Little Science Centre KGHM Donation Making a Bigger Water Drop Westmount Elementary Gr 7 Visit. Science is Very Much Alive at Westsyde Secondary School! Big Little Science Centre Speakers Forum Publisher Big Little Science Centre Society Mail: Box 882 Stn Main Kamloops BC V2C 5M8. Location: 655 Holt Street Kamloops BC V2B 5G2 Join us for a Super Summer Camp, or two There are two Jr. Science Camps one Sr. Science Camp and two Robotics Camps to choose from Science fun for everyone Phone: Website: blscs.org Newsletter Editor Big Little Science Centre editor@blscs.org BIGScience back issues < The camps are filling up so contact us now web: blscs.org

2 The BIG Little Science Centre is open to the public Tuesday to Saturday 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. CLOSED SUNDAYS and HOLIDAYS Individual day rates are : Adults $6, Seniors $4, Youth $3, Child $0, Family $15 Adults ages 16 to 59 Seniors ages 60+ Youth ages 6 to 15 Child 5 & under Can you guess what I am before the end of the Newsletter? Clue 1: I have 3,000 10,000 receptors. Phone: Gord@blscs.org or Susan@blscs.org Need a reason to visit the Big little Science Centre? Here are a few we have heard 2

3 Become a member of the Big Little Science Centre Society A family membership is $60.00/year. An individual membership is $45.00/year. A family membership consists of five directly related people. (This includes any combination of grandparents, parents and children). Visit our website blscs.org for more details on the benefits of membership. Thank you to KGHM International Ajax Project for the very generous donation in support of the BLSC Robotics programs BLSC Wish List Would you like to help out the Big Little Science Centre? Here is a wish list of donations we are looking for: Any Lego tm Mindstorms parts (NXT or RTS) Clean toilet paper rolls Old plastic photo film canisters A 10,000+ sqft building For more information check out our website (blscs.org) our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter 3

4 Science KIDbits Making a Bigger Water Drop You Need: 1 sheet of wax paper, about 30 cm x 30 cm 1 sheet of paper towel 1 drinking glass and fresh tap water 1 medicine dropper liquid soap or detergent Try This: 1. Cut a piece of wax paper about 30 cm long by 30 cm wide. Place it on a paper towel. Use a medicine dropper to add one drop of water to the middle of the wax paper. Also, place a drop of water on the paper towel. Note what happens to the drop of water in each case. 2. Add more drops of water to the wax paper surface, until you have built up one super drop. 3. Predict what will happen to the drop of water, when you add a single drop of soapy water to the large drop of water. 4. Now, add one drop of soapy water to your super drop. What happens to the water drop? 5. Now, please wipe up the mess! You can build a very large drop of water on a wax surface. Water molecules cohere to each other because there is an electrical attraction between them. When soap is added to the water, it decreases the electrical attraction between the water molecules at the surface of the drop. With the cohesive force decreased, the water drop spreads out over the wax paper. Soap bubbles illustrate the same effect. Dr. Gordon R. Gore Founder, BIG Little Science Centre (retired) Have you guessed what I am yet? Clue 2: I am strong enough to move 80 times my own weight. 4

5 Chemistry rules! I can fly! Westmount Grade 7 s visit the Big Little Science Centre for some Chemistry and hands-on room time. N. Sauer - Photos Say what! Would you look at that! 5

6 Science is Very Much Alive at Westsyde Secondary School! Gordon Gore At the invitation of chemistry and biology teacher Jenn Filek, I attended the annual Science Fair at Westsyde Secondary School on W ednesday May 21. (W SS is w ithin easy driving distance on my power chair.) I was not a judge, but I had several interesting conversations with WSS grade students, many of whom were BIG Little Science Centre fans when the centre was at nearby David Thompson Elementary School, our first 'home'. Grade 10 students Kate Allen and Quinn Pache had a very attractive display comparing the merits of LED with fluorescent and incandescent lightning. Both are in Grade 10 but are taking grade 11 courses in science. Left: Math and Science Coordinator James Beeds interviews Cody Ziola and Alex Maddess about their project, which compared commercial water filters. Right: Jordan Rice and Dexter Robinson (grade 11) investigated ways of making artificial muscles for possible use with prosthetic devices. Science is very much alive at WSS. The science fair projects covered many fields: botany, biology, engineering, physics, chemistry, consumer science and engineering. The students with whom I spoke were both enthusiastic and knowledgeable. 6

7 On the same day as the Science Fair, WSS Physics 12 students entertained David Thompson Elementary Grade 4 kids. (I thought I w as back at the science centre!) P hysics teacher Geramy Boudreau had his class all dressed in lab coats (for dramatic effect?). The main topic was wave motion, which was demonstrated using a homemade wave machine consisting of 30cm wood sticks on a long length of duct tape, with large candies at the ends. Left: Physics 12 student Nate Eggers plans to become an engineer, but after observing how he interacted with the young kids I think he would also make a great science teacher. Right: That wave machine looked very appetizing! Have you guessed what I am yet? Clue 3: I aid in making sound and speech. 7

8 I am a human tongue! The human tongue can hold up to 80 times its own weight. It is actually a group of 8 different muscles. The tongue can have from 3,000 to 10,000 taste buds. It can be up to 10 cm in length. It is very sensitive to touch. The tongue is constantly pushing saliva down your throat, even when you are asleep, yum. Tara (a regular BLSC volunteer) and Alecka (a new volunteer recruit) Congratulations Tara! The Big Little Science Centre Speakers Forum Keep an eye here, our website (blscs.org), the local paper and on our social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter) for information on the upcoming topics and speakers. Admission is free. Bring the family and enjoy. Doors open 6:30 PM presentation starts at 7:00 PM June 12th Jaimi Garbutt Water Usage. Tips and tricks for water conservation. Through the use of an interactive watershed model, demonstrations will show where our water comes from and where it goes. Discussion on the 4 R's of water conservation will be covered. Emphasis on why water conservation is important and simple conservation tips / tools will be discussed. In addition, everyone will have an opportunity to take home a water saving device. Jaimi Garbutt is an Environmental Educator for the City of Kamloops. 8